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Today on Romance Writers Weekly blog hop we are talking hobbies. Hobbies we have, or hobbies we would like to start and what it is about our hobbies that we love so much. In our world right now, where many of us are finding we have more time on our hands hobbies are a great way to fill the gap. If
you already have a hobby you may have been able to improve on or learn more about your hobby, or maybe just finish projects you had started, but never got a chance to finish. It can bring us calm in what are uncertain times. If you never thought you had time to start a hobby you were interested in, you may decide that while social distancing and staying home, it is a perfect time to give it a try.
I was always the person with a plethora of hobbies, some I was good at, some I just had fun doing, but between scrapbooking all my family’s memories, making baby quilts, crocheting during cold soccer games. You name it, I’ve probably tried to craft it.
Writing used to be a hobby, and now it is my job, which still blows my mind when I think about it. And other than the marketing end of things, which I hate, it doesn’t feel like work.
Right now, I am trying to learn how to embroider. While on the surface, watching the millions of you tube videos out there on what seems to be a million different stitches and combinations, I get bold and think, “That isn’t that hard. I can do that.” The truth is, not so much. While watching the videos of people stringing the stitches together to make a perfect green leaf, with shadowing I don’t consider they have been doing this for a very long time.
My stitches in contrast are not always straight. Often, they are not even. One stitch might be longer than the previous one, or it is offset just a touch breaking the line of the stem.
My mom used to do embroidery and cross stitch. Had I taken the time to sit with her in my youth she would have given me pointers and guided me to make me better, but I was too busy with life. So, I am stuck watching the YouTube videos and trying to figure out where I went wrong.
My husband picks on me, because he says I’ve stitched the same line a thousand times, and at that rate, I will never fill the fabric, but for me, right now, this is ok. I am concentrating on creating something. I am in control and can take it out and redo it if it isn’t to my standards and it is fine. Once I have mastered a new stitch it is very relaxing to make row after row of that stitch without having to think about anything important except the next place my needle needs to strike.
I took up embroidery because as a historical romance author, my characters are often doing their own embroidery, but for some reason my heroines are often not very good at this skill. I am not certain I would be considered “accomplished” in the eyes of a Regency character, but that is ok, at least now I know the pain of trying to set a flower in a certain spot and have it off set by just a fraction.
I am not sure I will continue with this hobby after our stay at home order is lifted and it is safe for all of us to be out again. I think if I do it will be to embroider a blanket or something large, because I don’t like clutter, so a lot of small projects will drive me crazy. A person can have only so many framed projects hanging on the walls.
I’d love to hear about your hobbies and why you enjoy them so much!
Next up we have Caro Kinkead
I’m hoping to find a new hobby to add to my list!